Expression mechanism for musical instruments



C. F. STODDARD EXPRESSION MECHANISM FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS. APPLICATION FlLED NOV. 21, I9I6- RENEWED APR. 18, 1921.

1,409,490. Patented Mar. 14, 1922.

amoawto'n CkarZeSFJiaddarzZ UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES IF. STODIDARD, OF NEVJ YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN PIANO COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEVI JERSEY...

EXPRESSION MECHANISM FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

Application filed November 2'7, 1916, Serial No. 133,561.

To all 107mm it may concern-1 Be it known that I, CHAnLns F. Sronnnno, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of New York, county and State of New York, have invented an Improvement in Expression Mechanism for Musical Instruments, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to apparatus for automatically varying playing intensities in automatic. musical instruments, such, for instance, as player-pianos and the like.

Among other objects, the invention is intended to provide apparatus capable of pro ducing prompt changes in playing intensity while maintaining intensities so far as may be desired, regardless of the number of tones sounded.

The character of the invention may be readily understood by reference to the as companying drawings, which show diagrammatically one illustrative embodiment thereof.

In the drawings, a bellows exemplifies a source of power for operating playing pneumaties 2 which may be operated selectively, as well understood by those skilled in the art, from a tracker board through ducts 3. A passage 4- connects the action chests 5 with a wind chest 6 which may be termed the regulated exhaust chest. A wind chest 7, which may be termed the high exliaustchest, is in. free communication with the source of power 1 through a port 8 and communication between the high exhaust chest 7 and the regulated exhaust chest (3 is controlled by 'a valve 9. The regulated exhaust chest 6 is in tree connnunication with a regulator pneumatic l0 operatively connected with the regulator valve 9 by a denible cable 11 fastened at one end to the movable board of the pneumatic: 10 and, in the drawings, passing upwardly o ver a pulley and thence to the valve 9. A regulatcu' spring 13 is fast to the movable hoard oil the pneumatic 10 and atits other end is attached, preferably adjustably, to some stationary part of the instrument.

I As well understood n the art, the valve 9 regulates the flow of air from the action chest 5 to the source 1, and the tension of the spring 13 determines the normal playing intensities in the absence of any change in the condition of the operative connection. be-

Specification of Letters Patent.

Renewed April 18, 1921. Serial No. 462,341.

tween the regulator pneumatic and the valve 9.

In order to vary the playing intensities the operative connection from the regulator pneumatic to the regulator valve may be varied, and in the specific embodiment of the invention herein shown this may be accomplished by varying the position ot the pulley 12. As will be readily understood, it the pulley 12 is raised, playing intensities will be increased, and conversely it it is lowered, playing intensities will be decreased.

The pulley 12 is carried by a bar 13 which depends from the movable boards of two expression bellows; for illustration, a crescendo and diminuendo bellows 14k and a bellows 15 for making changes in intensities by substantially distinct steps. The parts are here so constructed and arranged that when both bellows 14I and 15 are fully ere panded, the regulator, tensioned by the spring 13, will produce that regulation which is appropriate the softest playing intensity desired. lVhen either one of the bellows 11 and 15 is or are collapsed wholly or partially, the operative connection between the reg ulator bellows and the regulator valve is so changed as to increase the loudness of playing.

it is one of the objects 01 this invention to so vary the operative connection between the regulator nieumatic and the regulator valve that crescendos and diminuendos and. step changes in playing intensities may be simultaneously produced. For instance, that during a gradual crescendo a note or notes may be accented without destroying the course of the crescendo other than to produce the desired client, and that alter s2 accent-mg of a note or notes the o es-- cendo may be resumed at a point which it would have reached had the aeceuting not been made. With these ends in view the illustrative mecl anism is provided with the crescendo bellows let and the step bellows 15 which may be operated together or separately to combine ereseendos and diminu endos with step changes or to produce the crescendos and diminuendos alone or the step changes alone.

The independent action of the two expression bellows will be first described. Assume that the expression bellows 15 is incapable of movement. The crescendo bellows 1% may be exhausted through a duct 16 preferably having an adjustable bleed by which the capacity of the duct maybe diminished so as to cause the pneumatic 11 to collapse slowly and thereby slowly and gradually move the bar 13 and the pulley 12 upwardly in the drawings to slowly and gradually vary the operative connection between the regulator pneumatic and the regulator valve. The effect of this, is to produce a gradual slow crescendo. lVhen atmosphere is admitted through the duct 16, the bellows 14: having been wholly or partially collapsed is then permitted to expand. Thus the bar 13 and the pulley 12 return slowly to or toward their normal positions as shown in the drawings, thereby producing a slow diminuendo.

The expression bellows 14 may also be exhausted through a duct 17 of greater capacity than the duct 16 to collapse the bellows 14 at a greater speed, but preferably the duct 17 is of such restricted capacity as to collapse the bellows 14 to give a crescendo ettect similar to, but faster than that produced by exhausting through the duct 16. hen atmosphere is readmitted through the duct 17 a fast diminuendo results.

The second expression pneumatic 15 provides means by which step. changes in in-- tensity may be obtained. Assume now that the first expression pneumatic 14: is incapable'of movement. This second expression pneumatic 15 may be exhausted through a duct 18 of sufficiently large capacity to permit the pneumatic to be exhausted practically instantaneously to move the bar and the pulley 12 very rapidly upward in the drawing. Such movement of the pulley 12 is transmitted to the regulator valve 9 through the flexible cable 11 thereby suddenly varying the operative connection between the regulator pneumatic 10 and the regulator valve, and consequently causing a distinct step of increase in playing intensities.

To provide for a plurality of distinct steps, means are arranged to arrest the collapse of the expression pneumatic 15 intermediate its fully expanded and fully collapsed positions. The movable board of the expression pneumatic 15 carries a lug 19, and a pneumatic 20, arranged to be exhausted through a duct 21, is provided wit-h a stop 22 adapted to be positioned in the path of movement of the lug 19 and to thereby arrest movement thereof when the pneumatic 15 is collapsed through, for example, one half of its total collapsing movement. If therefore the pneumatic 20 is collapsed before the expression pneumatic 15 may be wholly collapsed to inaugurate the step change of greatest extent, and thereafter the pneumatic 20 may be collapsed and atmosphere admitted to the expression pneumatic 15 whereupon the stop 22 will engage the lug 19 and prevent the expression pneumatic 15 from assuming its full expanded position until atmosphere is again admitted to pneumatic 20 whereupon it will expand under the action of a spring 23 and permit stop 22 to disengage the lug 19.

The two expression pneumatics 14 and 15, have been heretofore described as operating independently. As will be readily understood by those skilled in the art the construc tion and arrangement herein shown permit of conjoint operation to obtain varying coinbinations of step changes with crescendo and diminuendo changes in playing intensities. For example, if it is desired to accent a note or notes during the progress of a slow crescendo which is inaugurated by exhausting expression pneumatic 14 through duct 16, the step change expression bellows may be wholly or partially collapsed, without interrupting the progress of the crescendo except to produce the desired effect. Upon the expansion of the step change bellows the crescendo will continue its normal progress. Similarly with a slow diminuendo and fast crescendos and diminuendos.

The various ducts 16, 17, 18 and 21 may be controlled to place them in communication with atmosphere or a source of exhaust, in any practicable manner by any suitable automatic means, preferably controlled by vents in the tracker. For instance, the socalled automatic actions described in Patent No. 1,008,291 may be adapted for this purpose. These automatic actions and valves form in themselves no part of this invention and therefore need not be de scribed or shown herein.

It is to be understood that this invention is not limited to the particular construction, organization and mode of operation shown in the drawings, and described for illustration. On the contrary, the invention may be variously embodied and the particular construction may be variously modified within the scope of the sub-joined claims. It is not indispensable that all the features of the invention be used conjointly since, in some instances, they may be used separately to advantage.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a musical instrument, the combination of playing pneumatics; a source of power for operating said playing pneumatics; [a crescendo bellows for causing progressional changes in playing intensities; a step bellows for causing incremental changes in playing intensities; a regulator bellows having operative connection with a valve between said source 01": power and said playing pneumatics; connections from said valve to the regulator bellows; and means for varying the operative connection between said regulator valve and said regulator bellows by said step bellows and crescendo bellows.

2. In a musical instrument, the combination of playing pneumatics; a source of power for operating said playing pneumatics; a regulator valve intermediate said source of power and said playing pneumatics; a regulator pneumatic ope 'atively connected by a flexible device with the reg ulator valve; crescendo means automatically operable upon said flexible device; tep change means automatically operable upon said flexible device; and means whereby said crescendo means and step change means may be operated together or Separately.

In a musical instriuncnt the combination of playing pneuniatics; a source of power for operating said playing pneumatics; a regulator valve intermediate said source of power and said playing pneu matics; a regulator pneumatic operatively connected by a flexible device with the regulator valve; crescendo means automatically operable upon said flexible device at diflen ent speeds to produce crescendos and diminuendos at diflerent speeds; step change means automatically ope able upon said flexible device; and means whereby said crescendo means and step change means may be operated together or separately.

t. In a musical instrument, the combination of playing pneumatics; a source of power for operating said playing pneumatics; a regulator valve intermediate said source of power and said playing pncumatics; a regulator pneumatic operatively connected by a flexible device with the regulator valve; crescendo means automatically operable upon said flexible device; step change means automatically operable upon said flexible device to produce a plurality of distinct steps of playingintensity; and means whereby said step means may be operated together with or separately from said crescendo means.

5. In a musical instrument, the combination of playing pneumatics; a source of power for operating said playing pneumatics; a regulator valve intermediate said source of power and said playing pneumatics; a regulator pneumatic operatively connected by a flexible device with the regulator valve; crescendo means automatically operable upon said flexible device at diilierout speeds to produce crescendos and diminuendos at different speeds; step change means automatically operable upon said flexible device to produce a plurality of dis tinct steps of playing intensity; and means whereby said crescendo means and step means may be operated together or separately.

6. In a musical instrument, the combination of playing pneumatics; a source of power for operating the playing pneumatics; a regulator valve intermediate said source of power and said playing pneumatics; a regulator pneumatic operatively connected by a flexible device with the regulator valve; a pulley over which said flexible device runs; two expression bellows having their movable boards connected by a bar to which said pulley is attached; means for collapsing one of said bellows to move said pulley slowly thereby inaugurating a crescendo operation; and means to collapse said other bellows abruptly to thereby move said pulley abruptly and inaugurate step changes in playing intensities.

7. In a musical instrument, the combination of playing pneumatics; a source of power for operating said playing pneumatics; a regulator valve intermediate said source of power and said playing pneumatics; a regulator pneumatic operatively connected by a flexible device with the regulator valve; a pulley over which said flexible device runs; two expression bellows having operative connection with said pulley; and means to vary the position of said pulley by the conjoint operation of said two bellows.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification this 24th day of November, 1916.

CHARLES F. STODDARD. 

